Voters To Decide County Growth

March 8, 1992|By JANE MUSGRAVE, Staff Writer

Like a shoot-out at sunrise, the stage is now set for the culmination of a long-standing feud between city and county officials.

Armed with information, misinformation and their own prejudices about city and county officials and government in general, Palm Beach County voters on Tuesday will decide whether to hand county commissioners the reins for growth control throughout the county.

``It`s a bellwether issue,`` said Dale Smith, executive director of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County. ``It`s about whether the citizenry of Palm Beach County want a more consolidated government structure with decisions made by a small number of people who they can hold accountable or they like the diversity of having decisions made by a lot of different city officials.``

Whether that message has gotten to voters may never be known, he said.

In recent weeks, the dispute has gotten intensely personal. Most agree that it is one of the nastiest disputes between elected officials in recent memory.

City officials, fearful that county commissioners will run roughshod over their powers of home rule, have run advertisements calling commissioners ``clowns`` who are trying to ``pull the wool over (voters`) eyes.`` The measure, they say, would ``gobble up our cities and worse.``

County officials, for their part, have been less venomous in print.

A $40,000 tax-financed brochure mailed to 200,000 voters late last week simply said: ``Ignore the politicians and developers. Keep an open mind. Read the ballot. Decide for yourself.``

But when asked, county commissioners and their supporters do not hesitate to savage their opponents.

``It`s lies, lies, all lies,`` Commission Chairman Karen Marcus said of the cities` leaflets and radio advertisements. ``Am I surprised? I guess I shouldn`t be, given what they`ve done in the past. But I`m always surprised people will put their names on things they know are not true.``

Gilbert Moore, who was a member of the now-defunct Countywide Planning Council, said the battle is really between the average citizen and well-heeled developers.

``If this thing gets defeated, this is going to be a victory for big money,`` he said. Developers are against the measure because they don`t want to operate under the spotlight that is trained on the County Commission but often eludes city decision-making, he said.

The dispute has produced odd bedfellows and new enemies.

Rosa Durando, an environmental activist, and Fran Reich, a suburban Boca Raton community activist, have constantly criticized the commission for not doing more to control growth. However, both have actively campaigned to expand the commission`s powers into the cities.

``(Commissioners) didn`t do a very good job in west Boca,`` Reich said. ``But there`s an accountability there. If we don`t like what the County Commission is doing, we can vote them out of office. We can`t do that with city officials.``

CHARTER AMENDMENT VIEWS

--Is countywide planning needed?

OPPONENTS: Yes. But, they say, the referendum goes too far. Instead, an Intergovernmental Coordination Council should be created to give city and county officials a forum to address countywide issues.

SUPPORTERS: Yes. They say the only way to assure the county grows in a logical fashion is to have one agency coordinate county and city growth. The proposed intergovernmental council would have no power and therefore would be nothing more than a coffee klatch.

OUTSIDERS: Yes. Growth control experts from throughout the state say there is no way Palm Beach County can grow in a logical fashion unless issues are addressed on a countywide basis.

--How much will it cost?

OPPONENTS: Critics say the measure will create a huge money-gobbling bureaucracy. The $1 million annual budget of the Countywide Planning Council is just the beginning. Cities will also be forced to spend thousands to change their growth plans unnecessarily.

SUPPORTERS: By making the planning council staff part of the county Planning Department, expenses will drop. Instead of spending $1 million, it will cost $900,000 next year to pay planners to address countywide issues. The amount pales compared to the amount that will be needed to correct problems and build facilities that will be needed if the measure is not approved.

--Will it allow the county commission to take control of cities?

OPPONENTS: Yes. The wording of the referendum is so broad that county commissioners will be able to pass regulations that affect virtually every aspect of city life.

SUPPORTERS: No. Commissioners will only address issues of countywide concern. They will not control zoning, nor will they be able to take over fire or police departments, utilities or a myriad of other issues.

--What is the status of the countywide plan that will take effect if the referendum is approved?

OPPONENTS: It has been rejected by the Florida Department of Community Affairs and is therefore illegal.